TITAN
Real Name: Titan
Identity/Class: Giant humanoid amphibian ("Atlantean" - see comments)
Occupation: Ruler and conqueror
Group Membership: Ruling class of "Atlantis"
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Surface-dwelling humans, notably John Cartwright, Ace, Avengers (Amadeus Cho, Hercules, Quicksilver, Stature, U.S.Agent, Vision, Wasp/Hank Pym), G.R.A.M.P.A. forces, One-Eyed Jacquie, Ultimates (Blue Marvel, Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Ms. America/America Chavez, Spectrum/Monica Rambeau)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mariana Basin in the northern Atlantic Ocean
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#28/1 (April, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: Like other members of his race, Titan was a gigantic amphibian who breathed oxygen with fin-like hands. He displayed limited telepathic abilities to communicate. He had the strength and resilience to match his mighty size, and was a strong and strategic leader of his people. While he displayed bravery in attacking humans, Titan was unwilling to sacrifice his fellow amphibians in an invasion. He was reliant on water to maintain his strength.
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#28/1 (fb) - BTS) - Titan's ages-old amphibian race was small in number and went to live in the sea, where they eventually grew in number in a city they dubbed Atlantis. They then wanted to return to the surface and their ruler, Titan, decided to venture to the surface to determine the extent of the surface world's defenses.
(Tales of Suspense I#28/1) - Titan lurched out of a New York harbor onto Manhattan Island, generating much chaos. He drank a vast quantity of water to churn the river and destroyed buildings. He then communicated telepathically to the humans, offering a large fortune to any person willing to reveal the extent of the weapons on the surface. All the people refused except a respected business leader, John Cartwright. Titan offered a deal of protection and wealth for the military details, but death if the information failed the amphibians' invasion. Titan was fooled by Cartwright's lies of the surface's vast and incredibly destructive weaponry, and so Titan terminated his invasion plans. Keeping his side of the agreement, Titan then killed Cartwright.
(Mighty Avengers I#24) - Titan attacked Biarritz, France, but was soon opposed by Pym's team of mighty Avengers and G.R.A.M.P.A. forces, including Ace and One-Eyed Jacquie. Titan was weakened by a magnified solar beam from the Vision and large guns that fired salt solution that both dehydrated the giant amphibian. Quicksilver's sudden appearance helped fell Titan and he was taken away unconscious by G.R.A.M.P.A. forces.
(Heroic Age: Villains) - Steve Rogers speculated on the history of Titan and how he could be restrained or made to see reason.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Captain Marvel X#8) - Following a prediction by the Inhuman Ulysses the Ultimates stopped Titan in the ocean before the monster could lay waste to Hong Kong.
Comments: Created by Larry Lieber (script), Stan Lee (plot), Jack Kirby (pencils) and Russ Heath (inks).
Titan's change in appearance may be due to (deliberate) mutation to augment his abilities to fight the surface dwellers, possibly in a rage to avenge the demise of his people.
Excepting genetic mutation, being a marine
creature, I don't see how a salt solution could have dehydrated
him! Unless the salt water had been distilled, of course. Then, he
might have been deprived of oxygen. Which, in turn, would have caused
him to gasp until he probably started to hyperventilate. And, that
could have dehydrated him, in the process!
---Carycomix
Titan's assertion that he was from Atlantis is very unlikely to relate to Namor's undersea kingdom of Atlantis, but rather an undersea city of Titan's people that they then dubbed Atlantis (indeed, Atlantis may have become a generic term for undersea kingdoms).
Curiously, Titan's two main points of attack (New York and Biarritz) were at similar latitudes (40° and 43°, N).
The Tales of Suspense story was reprinted in Uncanny Tales from the Grave#12/1 (October, 1975), which is where the 3 older images are from.
Captain Marvel update by Markus Raymond.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Titan has no known connections to:
John Cartwright was the president of an automobile company who was an astute and well-respected businessman. Hearing Titan's attack and threats, he quickly responded to the creature's demands for a traitor to tell him of the surface dwellers' defenses prior to an Atlantean invasion and he offered to be that informant, although the cost of failing to assist the invasion would mean certain death. Titan carried off Cartwright, who was quickly branded a traitor by New Yorkers. Once in Titan's kingdom, Cartwright concocted tales of advanced weaponry owned by humans, including disintegration and reducing rays plus anti-gravity devices that would throw the Atlanteans into space. Cartwright's lies fooled Titan and the invasion was called off. Keeping his end of the bargain, Titan killed Cartwright, who was never recognized on the surface for his ultimate sacrifice.
--Tales of Suspense I#28/1
images:
(without ads)
Uncanny Tales from the Grave#12/1, cover (main image - artist uncredited)
Uncanny Tales from the Grave#12/1, p3, pan2 (head shot)
Might Avengers#24, p16, pan2 (fighting Pym and Stature)
Uncanny Tales from the Grave#12/1, p2, pan5 (Cartwright)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#28/1 (April, 1962) - Larry Lieber (script), Stan
Lee (plot), Jack Kirby (pencils), Russ Heath (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Mighty Avengers I#24 (June, 2009) - Dan Slott (writer), Rafa Sandoval
(pencils), Roger Bonet Martinez (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Heroic Age: Villains (January, 2011) - Chad Anderson, Peter Sanderson,
Anthony Flamini, Markus Raymond, Rob London, Madison Carter, Kevin
Garcia, Stuart Vandal & David Wiltfong (writers), Jeff Youngquist
(editor)
Captain Marvel X#8 (October, 2016) - Ruth Fletcher Gage & Christos Gage (writers), Kris Anka (pencils), Kris Anka with Andy Owens (inks), Sana Amanat (editor)
First Posted: 09/16/2010
Last updated: 04/02/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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